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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bank — for money
  3. net — in sport
  4. ground — a position
  5. march — the month
  6. bank — of a river
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — to handle
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — the cause
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. net — after costs
  14. bank — for money
  15. ground — the earth
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. root — of a plant
  18. ground — crushed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com